It is known to provide a compass system for a vehicle that is operable to determine a directional heading of the vehicle. For the compass system to operate properly in a vehicle, a calibration procedure is performed to identify the vehicle magnetic offset that distorts the true earth's magnetic field value. Most of the magnetic offset is produced by the vehicle's sheet metal and structural components, especially those located in close proximity to the compass sensor. This offset field represents a static magnetic vector that is identified and mathematically nullified during a normal calibration procedure. Normal calibration can be accomplished by deliberately driving in a circle to quickly acquire the data, or waiting for the compass to gather the needed data during normal driving activities.